I was at the gym, in the pool, somewhere in the middle of a ladder swim workout, when I shook my head and asked, “What the hell am I doing?”

I chuckled a bit (underwater) because in college, my friends and I used to laugh and ask that rhetorical question after particularly reckless nights and weekends (usually with the suffix: “with my life?”)

And in the time passed since then, I’ve found that during any change – be it a travel adventure, a career move, or a new hobby – “What the hell am I doing?” seems to float to the surface at some point along the transition.

Only under these circumstances, the question means something much different: it’s like your past self trying to bring you back to reality.

She talks about power poses, and how little things like improving your posture can change your life.

But more importantly, she expounds upon the concept of “fake it till you make it,” and drills further to explain that a more accurate phrase would be “fake it till you become it.”

Her message and story resonated with me, and can be applied to so many aspects of life.

So when, “What the hell am I doing?” pops into my head as I wake up at 3:45am for a Saturday bike ride, swim lap after lap before work, pass on a slice of birthday cake at a party, or only hang out for one beer at happy hour, here’s my response: becoming an Ironman.